Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds Urban Waters Federal Partnership 2021-2022 Work Plan Contents Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Points of Contact ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Background ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Partners .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Federal Agency Partners ................................................................................................................................................. 3 State Agency Partners .................................................................................................................................................... 3 Local Government Partners ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Non-Governmental & Community Organizations .......................................................................................................... 4 Goals ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Communication & Networking .......................................................................................................................................... 4 2021-2022 Partnership Priority Projects (listed alphabetically) ........................................................................................ 5 #1: Bridge Park South - expansion of Harlem River Greenway and a new waterfront park .......................................... 5 #2: Measuring Success of Natural and Nature-Based Resiliency Features in the Bronx ................................................ 6 #3: Reducing Street Trash & Floatables .......................................................................................................................... 7 #4: Starlight Park Expansion – improving shoreline resiliency, closing a key greenway gap, and increasing community access .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 #5: USACE Ecosystem Restoration on the Bronx River ................................................................................................... 9 #6: Water Quality Monitoring ...................................................................................................................................... 10 #7: Watershed Planning ............................................................................................................................................... 12 Partnership Activities (listed alphabetically) ................................................................................................................... 13 Civic engagement and job training programs ............................................................................................................... 13 Environmental advocacy .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Environmental education ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Greenway expansions ................................................................................................................................................... 13 Harlem River coordination and collaboration with Manhattan-based efforts ............................................................. 13 On-water recreational access and programming ......................................................................................................... 14 Oyster and living shoreline restoration ........................................................................................................................ 14 Park and greenspace development .............................................................................................................................. 14 Reconnecting Tibbetts Brook to the Harlem River ....................................................................................................... 15 1 Overview The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) is a federally-led initiative focused on reconnecting overburdened and economically distressed urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts. The Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds location in New York, NY was one of the original seven pilot UWFP locations established in 2011 – today there are 20 locations around the US. Led by the United States Department of the Interior, the Bronx & Harlem River UWFP works to help overburdened and underserved Bronx communities reconnect to their waterways, reduce the negative impacts of urbanization on both water quality and human health, and restore impacted riverfronts and watersheds while pursuing environmental justice. An Urban Aerial view of the Harlem and Bronx Waters Ambassador works to identify and advance priority projects and Rivers in New York City, New York; the coordinates agency and community involvement. The Bronx & Harlem River Harlem River separates Manhattan from UWFP’s Ambassador position is made possible by the sustained support of the Bronx, and the Bronx River originates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA funding is in Westchester County before flowing through the heart of the Bronx. administered by the New York – New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) at the Hudson River Foundation (HRF); HEP also hosts the Ambassador position. This workplan has been developed by the Bronx & Harlem Rivers UWFP to define goals, identify key partners and responsibilities, and summarize priority projects for calendar years 2021-2022. It is also the basis for allocating the Ambassador’s time and effort as well as other contributed resources. This bi-annual workplan will be updated in January 2023 and/or as funding or new collaborative opportunities adjust Partnership priorities. Points of Contact Sara Powell, Ambassador [email protected] 212-483-7667 Stephen Terracciano, Local Federal Lead Associate Director, USGS Long Island New York Water Science Center [email protected] 631-736-0783 Irene Purdy, Urban Waters Regional Coordinator EPA Region 2 [email protected] 212-637-3794 2 Background The Harlem and Bronx Rivers are part of the larger Hudson River/NY-NJ Harbor Estuary and Long Island Sound systems, and as such, hold enormous potential to provide a variety of benefits to millions of people in the region. The Harlem River is a nine-mile long waterbody that separates Manhattan from the Bronx. The Harlem is actually a tidal strait, not a true river, which connects the Hudson River in the north and another tidal strait, the East River, to the south. Once a complex system of tributaries, wetlands, and meandering shorelines, today the River has been channelized, hardened, and heavily impacted by development and industry over the last 200+ years. The Bronx River is 24 miles long and empties into the East River/Long Island Sound. Its watershed spans both New York City (NYC) and 13 Westchester County municipalities and is 38 square miles in size. The Bronx River is the only freshwater river remaining in NYC, although it is tidal for a portion of its southernmost length below the dam at Starlight Park (approximately E 172nd Street). Like the Harlem River, the Bronx River has been negatively impacted by urbanization. Harlem and Bronx River communities are home to an disproportionate amount of NYC’s solid waste transfer, wastewater treatment, and electrical generation facilities, have among the highest obesity, diabetes, and asthma rates in NYC, and host the world’s largest wholesale food distribution center, which generates upwards of 20,000 truck trips through residential neighborhoods every day. New York’s 15th Congressional District, the poorest in the nation, spans the southern portion of these two watersheds. The Bronx is home to the largest (Pelham Bay) and third largest (Van Cortlandt) parks in all of New York City. However, access to the Harlem River in particular (on both the Manhattan and Bronx sides) is severely lacking. A 2016 study by the NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program identified the Bronx as the highest need area in all of New York City in terms of equitable public access to the waterfront. Partners This UWFP location is led by Department of Interior (DOI) & U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Key partners are listed alphabetically below. Federal Agency Partners U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Oceanic & Atmospheric U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Administration (NOAA) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Park Service (NPS) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) State Agency Partners U.S. Department